Joining
Rita in studio were Colin Linden and Kevin Breit on guitars, George Koller
on bass, the legendary Richard Bell on keyboards and Carlos del Junco
on harmonica.

NRBL6.2

Edwards,Archie

Toronto
Sessions

06.11.01

Blues
guitarist Archie Edwards was 68 years old in 1986 when he recorded these
sessions in Toronto. Its release 15 years later was cause for blues fans'
joy and sorrow. Thought it was great to finally have available, it's unfortunate
that Edwards wasn't recorded more often; his natural approach to the blues
is timeless.

NRBL12.2

Jacobs-Strain,David

Stuck
On the Way Back

18.06.02

David
Jacobs-Strain might still be young, but he has a formidable arsenal at
his command, with a guitar technique and power that's second to none and
a voice that's decades older than his baby face. But once you get past
the contrast between his appearance and the fire in his sound, it's apparent
you're in the presence of a very talented bluesman, one of the best of
a new generation.

NRBL10.2

Jones,J.w.

Bogart's
Bounce

18.06.02

Some
records are good but never develop the kind of critical mass to stand
out from the pack. Bogart's Bounce is like that, with J.W. Jones airing
his admiration for Stevie Ray and the Fabulous Thunderbirds (plus a couple
of touches of soul), but never really making any kind of lasting impression.

NRBL1.2

Jones,J.w.

Defibrillatin

06.03.01

Like
Jimmy Witherspoon, T-Bone Walker, and Dave Specter, J.W. Jones is the
sort of person who likes a lot of jazz in his blues. Defibrillatin', the
Canadian guitarist/singer's debut album, doesn't cater to bop snobs
Jones doesn't spend all of his time trying to show you how fast he can
play John Coltrane's "Giant Steps" or Sonny Rollins' "Oleo," but he does
sound like the sort of bluesman who has spent a lot of time listening
to guys like Jimmy Smith and Jimmy McGriff (not to mention T-Bone Walker).

NRBL7.2

Jones,Johnny

Blues
Is in the House

06.11.01

Nashville
guitarist Johnny Jones has played with such blues legends as Bobby Blue
Bland, Freddie King, Gatemouth Brown, and Jimi Hendrix. Amazingly, Jones
has been playing the blues since the late '50s, but this is only his second
full-length CD as a leader. Jones knows how to play straight-up party
blues.

NRBL8.2

Manx,Harry

Wise
& Otherwise

02.04.02

To call
Harry Manx a wizard of slide guitar is perfectly true, but not the whole
story. Add banjo, harmonica, and the Indian veena to that, and you're
approaching the real story. On Wise and Otherwise he demonstrates the
full range of his talents, which are firmly based in the blues, but extend
far beyond all the way to Indian music, with his own "Raga Nat Bhariav,"
a short, but beautiful journey for the veena.

NRBL4.2

Manx,Harry

Dog My
Cat

03.07.01

Slide
guitarist Harry Manx was born in the U.K., raised in Canada, and lived
and worked in Europe and Japan before spending five years studying Indian
slide guitar under the great Vishwa Mohan Bhatt. This is his first solo
album, and as one might expect, it's a fascinating hodgepodge of differing
musical traditions.

NRBL14.2

Manx,Harry
/ Breit,Kevin

Jubilee

04.02.03

Harry
Manx is a kind of blues loner: He plays a unique east-meets-west blues
that's more intellectual than the usual 12-bar jams. On Jubilee, he tries
to be sociable by teaming up with jazz session guitarist Kevin Breit.

NRBL13.2

Northern
Blues Gospel Allstars

Northern
Blues Gospel Allstars

01.10.02

Gospel,
blues, jazz, R&B all are kin on music's family tree, descended from
spirituals sung by slaves on the plantations. So it makes sense that producer
Frazier Mohawk and Canadian blues label NorthernBlues would tie gospel
and blues together again.

NRBL5.2

Reddick,Paul
/ Sidemen

Rattlebag

21.08.01

Paul
Reddick and company dig into the pre-World War II rural blues repertoire.
They come up with Delta gems for their tough, electric blues sound. They
use studio effects and unexpected equipment to achieve raw, analog visitations
of the past blues masters on almost every track.

NRBL9.2

Taylor,Otis

Respect
the Dead

02.04.02

Otis
Taylor might well be the best and most inspired of contemporary bluesmen.
His White African album was a masterpiece which makes the task of following
it doubly difficult. With Respect the Dead, however, he does a superb
job the man is still very much on a roll.

NRBL2.2

Taylor,Otis

White
African

06.03.01

Otis
Taylor has a knack for interesting titles; Blue-Eyed Monster and When
Negros Walked the Earth are among the CDs that the Denver bluesman recorded
before White African. Taylor also has a knack for very dark and sobering
themes this 2001 release, in fact, is full of them.